Over the years, the sport of golf has continuously grown in popularity, and at present the sport is attracting new players at record pace. This rapid growth has particularly increased membership in the ranks of novice to intermediate players, which generally desire to improve the their skill level so as to become better players and be more competitive on the golf course.
The nature and numerous subtle facets of golf present the amateur player with a daunting list of skills to build and refine. One aspect of the game in particular, putting, tends to be a problem area for many individuals who play the game. In response to the problematic nature of the putting game for so many golfers, there have been a number of innovations involving putter designs, all with the general intent of improving a player's putting game. One of the most widely accepted theories of putting teaches that it is desirable for the underlying mechanics of the putting stroke to mimic that of a simple mechanical pendulum. Of particular interest and relevance, with regard to this objective, is the advent of dual shafted putters such as those previously disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,308,073 and 5,553,858. As discussed in these patents, the fundamental advantage of a dual shafted putter design involves the ease with which it facilitates and promotes a true pendulum type putting stroke. This ability is directly attributable to the fact that the use of a separate shaft for each gripping hand greatly reduces the tendency of the golfer's wrists to break during the normal course of a putting stroke. Hence, the ability to prevent or reduce wrist breaking tendency during a typical putting stroke will likely lead to a more accurate and a generally more consistent putting game.
While the use of dual shafts can certainly reduce the tendency towards wrist breakage, there are other considerations in the design of a putter which can also affect its efficiency. Balance of the club with respect to the putting face, for instance, directly affects the ability of the club to resist rotation upon striking a golf ball, and hence reduces the tendency for the ball to be pushed or pulled from the intended course.
From the perspective of an improvement minded golfer, a putter design which maximizes or optimizes this inherent property of the club which helps resist the wrist breaking tendency during a putting stroke is highly desirable. Therefore, there is and continues to be need for a practical and economical putter which optimally assists the golfer in maintaining proper wrists orientation during a typical putting stroke for the purpose of helping the golfer attain and reap the benefits of a true pendulum type putting swing.